Shemima Begum.

I Say Again

THE jihadi schoolgirl who fled Britain to join ISIS in Syria said seeing the severed heads of terror victims dumped in bins "didn't faze me at all".

Shamima Begum, 19, described spotting the gory aftermath of extremist executions, but calmly brushed off the experience as part of her "normal" life with fundamentalists.

Thank you foxie and Iam for the information about the school (and other background information.) I cannot bring myself to blame the school because apparently they sent letters home and informed the police about their concerns. I don’t see what else the school could have done realistically, although these days they would have sent an email which would have been seen by the parents, but times were different more than ten years ago. The police should have visited the girl’s homes since apparently they were informed. I wonder why they didn’t?
Nonetheless these girls schemed secretly to go to Syria. They (obviously) didn’t tell their parents.
I don’t want her back but of course these decisions are nothing to do with me. The court concluded today that no laws were broken in denying her citizenship and I respect the decision of the court. I do actually think she will eventually come back because even if The Supreme Court doesn’t rule that she can come back, I believe the ECHR will rule in her favour. Frankly I don’t want her back but as I said, it’s not my decision.

She’s a problem but our problem and not that of Bangladesh

It’s my understanding other Northern European countries have accepted isis fighters of their nationality back

She’s certainly not the responsibility of Bangladesh. Someone on here said that Bangladesh said they’d hang her, but I can’t see how they could do that. Any crimes she’s committed were not committed in Bangladesh! Anyway I believe she’s said she doesn’t want to go to Bangladesh.
I think she’ll come back here eventually, following a judgement from the ECHR. Then she’ll serve a short prison sentence or possibly do community service since she was fifteen when her crime was committed here.
I don’t want her here, but there it is. Not my decision.

Obviously the security services are privy to information which we will never know and quite rightly so, for our own safety and the security of our country.

I know other countries have made the (probably reluctant) decision to allow ISIS fighters back. I don’t know what they did with them when they got them back, apart from SB’s husband, who is in a Dutch prison I believe.
I wonder what we’d have done with Jihadi John? He didn’t commit those terrible murders in Britain, and so I don’t think he could be tried for them here.

GSM will probably help here. Could jihadi John, like SB be arrested and charged with joining a prescribed organisation

Indeed. Everyone who expresses sympathy for her and believes that she should return has absolutely no idea of what the Home Secretary knew when revoking her British citizenship. I have no doubt that if they knew what he knew their sympathy would evaporate.

I’m on the fence here GSM, rare place for me. I can see the issues ariund her being stateless. I’m also prepared to accept the HS knows more than I do

But those who commit the most horrific crimes are still British citizens. This isnt for me about how I feel about her or what she did or even whether I think she was groomed. It's about our responsibility and in a way our Western values. We have to be better and stand by the values that are part of us. I think that's really important at the moment.

Germanshepherdsmum

How can our country pay for Legal Aid for someone who isn’t a British citizen?

I predict the ECHR will rule in her favour.

If she was returned to the UK and still presented a threat she could surely be held under the Terrorism Investigation and Prevention Act in a place of safety until such time as the secretary of State recognised she presented no threat.

I am afraid I have little confidence in the current judgement of what presents a threat but that doesnt mean we can absolve ourselves of our responsibility.

Iam64

GSM will probably help here. Could jihadi John, like SB be arrested and charged with joining a prescribed organisation

Hardly, he was killed in Syria around 8 years ago!

Germanshepherdsmum

Indeed. Everyone who expresses sympathy for her and believes that she should return has absolutely no idea of what the Home Secretary knew when revoking her British citizenship. I have no doubt that if they knew what he knew their sympathy would evaporate.

I agree, there must be lots of things we don’t know about in her case.

Galaxy

But those who commit the most horrific crimes are still British citizens. This isnt for me about how I feel about her or what she did or even whether I think she was groomed. It's about our responsibility and in a way our Western values. We have to be better and stand by the values that are part of us. I think that's really important at the moment.

Absolutely this Galaxy

The journalist who visited and spent time with her in the camps was on tv tonight. He knows her better than anybody else. He says she showed him a photo of her firstborn child and he said he was very sorry he died. She said “don’t worry, I’m over it now.” He said she was emotionless.

Syria does not want her and she is not Syrian. If Was Syria I would, on a calm day take her near to Britain and then put her in a rubber dingy with enough fuel to reach the coast. Then ring up the coast guard and tell them she was landing here and she was our problem.

We would then be forced to accept responsibility for her and I hope treat her as a civilised country should.

Jackiest

Syria does not want her and she is not Syrian. If Was Syria I would, on a calm day take her near to Britain and then put her in a rubber dingy with enough fuel to reach the coast. Then ring up the coast guard and tell them she was landing here and she was our problem.

We would then be forced to accept responsibility for her and I hope treat her as a civilised country should.

And how would you propose Syria could do that along with all the other nearly 37,000 in the detention camps from countries around the world?
🤔

Glorianny

If she was returned to the UK and still presented a threat she could surely be held under the Terrorism Investigation and Prevention Act in a place of safety until such time as the secretary of State recognised she presented no threat.

I suggest you read the Act. It doesn’t enable indefinite imprisonment without trial.

Primrose53

Germanshepherdsmum

How can our country pay for Legal Aid for someone who isn’t a British citizen?

Can you shed any light on this GSM? Is it because she would come under the human rights umbrella even though she's not in the country?

I guess so. Asylum seekers get legal aid and they’re not British citizens. I wasn’t a criminal or human rights lawyer, thankfully.

JenniferEccles

As GSM has said, the then Home Secretary’s comment “if you knew what I know” is more than enough to indicate just what a threat this woman is to our country.

Cases like this make me so cross.
Her family were given permission to settle here and this is how they repay us.
We’ve seen it time and time again with acts of terrorism.

It remains we do not know what the then Home Secretary knew and we are unlikely to ever know if he actually knew anything or was bluffing (downright lying). Leaks to the tabloids were made at the time which were later discredited.
All this gossip about state secrets and covert information isn't even worthy of the worst tabloids.

Primrose53

The journalist who visited and spent time with her in the camps was on tv tonight. He knows her better than anybody else. He says she showed him a photo of her firstborn child and he said he was very sorry he died. She said “don’t worry, I’m over it now.” He said she was emotionless.

People who have experienced trauma often present like this, emotionally shut down. It's how people cope. I've seen her interviewed and there's a complete blankness about her. Just try to imagine what she has gone through, it may be her own fault but it doesn't make her experiences any less real. Giving birth without the support of her family and seeing all three children die, seeing the most dreadful violence, living in fear for her life whilst knowing that escape is pretty impossible. All of this between the ages of 15 and 19. I could go on but is it surprising that she's found her way of coping by becoming "emotionless"